Chronicles of the Fox and Wolf
by FroggersGirl1992
Summary: After a brutal attack on his life Naruto finds himself placed in the care of the ANBU member known as Wolf... who is the mysterious character behind the mask? What is his interest in caring for the young boy? -Helpful Critism Wanted-
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing! If I did the story would have turned out differently._**

**_Edited 2/10/11_**

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The sky was an angry blackened grey, seething and boiling as streaks of blue lightning ghosted across the sky accompanied by thunderous cracks that rumbled in the wake of each strike. The night air was uncomfortably warm, as the crushing stillness was suddenly broken by a lone figure sprinting down the street, fear evident in his bright blue eyes. The heavy footfalls crashed behind him, pushing the small form to move even faster, painful gasps coming forth from his slightly parted lips. His tan skin clammy with cold sweat and body quivering in terror he quickly turned the corner, preying he would find a place to hide. His eyes took in the new area quickly and noting the small opening in the fence to the left, the little blonde boy changed course diving through the opening and out towards the trees. A masculine voice called out, "You can run, but you can't hide demon!" as one of the chasers leaped the fence followed closely by four others, the lightning showing the metal hitai-ate adorning their foreheads.

The boy began to slow, his legs and body no longer able to keep up his pace anymore. He could hear the foot falls growing closer as he tried to stay ahead, but his frantic efforts were in vain. A hand clamped down on his shoulder yanking him back towards the five men, a terrified yelp forced its way out of the boy. The man closest to him grinned, his voice coming out in a whisper as he pulled out a kunai, "Demon… you cannot posses the body of the innocent boy Naruto no longer! We will free his body from your filth!"

The kunai glinted as he brought it down into the blonde boy, Naruto's, shoulder and slowly began to drag the blade through the child's body. The other men held him still as the weapon was removed and again stabbed into Naruto, this time into his stomach and then into his chest, near the boys heart. Tears poured down Naruto's tan cheeks, his small body shaking in pain as his blood oozed forth from the three long, deep gashes. His ears rang with the harsh sounds of the five's laughter as they proceeded to tie the boy to a tree so he had no hope of getting help, even if he could manage to move and gagged him so he could not scream. They ripped open the remains of his shirt and a different man took the bloody kunai and began carving letters into his skin just underneath his collarbone…..**D-E-M-O-N**. Naruto sobbed heavily as the pain he was feeling intensified as a fresh wave of blood poured down his chest, helping to turn the top of his tan short a rusty color. The man then through the kunai into the woods as the three who had yet to harm him pulled out three senbon each. Each targeting a different area on the young boys body, his neck, legs and other shoulder. Naruto cried out as the thin metal pierced his body, his cries muffled by the gag. The boy saw them turn their backs on him as his vision went black.

The five men began walking away leaving him bloody, bleeding and wracked in pain. "Serves the demon right." the original speaker said, nodding his head satisfied with he and the four other's work; they wanted his death to be slow and painful. The group parted ways as they slipped back into the inner part of the village, none feeling guilty over what they had just done.

* * *

A man in ANBU garb, black hair pulled back into a very low pony tail and a weasel mask hiding his identity, was racing through the forest heading for the inner part of the village when the cloying metallic scent of blood hit him full on. Weasel made headed for the source of the scent eyes flashing in anger as his hand strayed for the katana he carried, prepared to attack if needed. Catching sight of the child tied to the tree Weasel leapt gracefully to the ground, senses on high alert searching for the people who made the small blonde before him into a victim. Weasel stopped next to the boy, and sliced through the ropes taking in the many wounds marring the tan flesh, his eyes stopping to rest on the whisker like marks on the boy's cheeks. "Uzumaki Naruto" the masked figure whispered as he pressed gloved fingers Naruto's neck feeling for a pulse.

The one he found was weak and barely hanging on the shuddering, like butterflies wings, was too fast and every third beat two were skipped. Naruto's small body was failing fast. Swearing heavily, Weasel scooped the limp form into his arms leaping back into the trees intent on getting the boy the help he needed, feeling a strange sense of comradery. He got closer to the hospital and spotted one of his comrades calling out to the man wearing the wolf mask, "Get the Hokage… tell him the boy is hurt."

Wolf gave a small nod shooting across the roof tops towards the tower to do as he was commanded. Weasel bolted quickly into the hospital stopping in front of the front desk telling the women stationed there that he demanded medical attention for the boy. The women took one look at the whiskered cheeks and her eyes lost all of the concern they had previously held, " He will have to wait, we have more urgent cases than taking care of _that._"

Weasel gave an uncharacteristic show of emotion by twitching and releasing a small amount of killing intent before regaining control and speaking in a voice that turned the women's blood to ice in her veins, "You will look at him now or when the Hokage gets here you can explain to him why the boy has yet to receive treatment."

The women paled considerably hearing what the ANBU before her said; she pressed a button and called out orders resigned to having to take care of the demon. Several men came and took him away, as Weasel went to lean against the wall to wait for the Hokage.

* * *

Wolf burst into the tower and did not stop until he was standing in front of the old man sitting behind the worn desk, tiredly signing papers. Glancing up, he softly asked the ANBU why he insisted on bursting into the office. In reply the silver haired man hurriedly spit out what Weasel had told him. The Sandaime's eyes widened as he stood in a flurry of the traditional robes. He took off towards the hospital, Wolf following incase this got ugly. He knew how the hospital staff was towards the boy Weasel was carrying. They arrived at the hospital to see Weasel leaning against the wall waiting calmly. Sandaime approached the desk and asked for information on how Naruto was doing, the women disguised her dislike and said he was currently getting his wounds bandaged and they would be able to see him in a moment. Nodding, Sandaime and Wolf went to stand next to Weasel to wait.

The seconds ticked by until finally the women motioned for the trio to follow the nurse to the room where Naruto was. The walk seemed to take hours, each man wondering what exactly had happened to the boy, one having more of an idea than the other two. Once they entered the room, Sandaime gave the small figure the once over finding his bandaging to be satisfactory. Giving a pointed look to Weasel he moved over near the window. "What exactly happened to him in your opinion on seeing his initial wounds?"

"Hokage- sama, I would assume the boy was tortured and left to die. His wounds were deadly and he had passed out from blood loss. The most notable of all the wounds would be the presence of the word demon carved into the skin below his collar bone."

Sandaime sighed, suddenly feeling very old, "This is the fifth time there has been an incident concerning Naruto. His caretakers abandon him and often harm him, he finds himself running from the members of the village who should protect him. Weasel… why did you bring him back? Do you know who the boy is?"

Weasel inclined his head answering softly, "Yes, I am aware of what he carries; however, I do not see him as that. To me, he is simply a young child."

'Weasel is too young and his father would not approve', thinking about this, the old man motioned for Wolf to join them, "And you Wolf? I am sure you overheard what I asked Weasel."

Wolf remained silent for a moment, "I…I do not see him as the demon either Hokage-sama."

The Hokage grinned softly a plan forming in his head, "Oh good. Welcome to fatherhood Wolf."

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A/N: I have finals and then I go home from college for a month, the next few chapters should hopefully be out in that time period it all depends on if I have the time between everything I have going on in that lovely thing known as life.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing..if I did...well thats a whole other story.**_

Thank you to Ninjapirate101 for being my first reveiwer! *throws confetti*

Chobits909: I am also looking forward to how this turns out.

IC-KakaNaruKaka-luvr: I am glad you like the story, and thank you for catching some mistakes in this one ^.^

**EDITED: 2/10/11**

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Hearing the words spoken by the Hokage, Wolf did a double take behind his mask. He was unsure if he heard the old man correctly, "Come again Hokage-sama, _fatherhood_?"

"Yes, Wolf. I want you to act as Naruto's father figure for the time being…teach him to protect himself, enroll him in the academy and make sure he knows who he can trust."

Wolf turned to gaze at the small boy in the bed, unsure of himself, "Hokage-sama, surely there is somebody more qualified to look after the boy?"

"Wolf, you are one of the few I would trust to look after Naruto. Many others would try to harm him, and Weasel is too young to except the responsibility. Think of this as an ongoing mission."

Wolf sighed; he could not in good conscious go against the orders given to him by the leader of the village. "I accept Hokage-sama."

The old man nodded, giving Wolf instructions to meet him in the tower in the morning, for now he wanted both Weasel and Wolf to stay and make sure no harm came to the boy lying comatose on the bed. He then made his way out of the room, heading to his office leaving the two ANBU to look after the youngster.

Wolf and Weasel stood near the window simply watching for any sign of foul play neither wanting to really talk to the other. After three hours of silence Wolf finally sighed, "Mah, I am not looking forward to being a father, how do I even explain him?"

Weasel thought for a minute, wondering if the man next to him really wanted an answer or was he merely musing out loud? Deciding it was the former he answered, "Say you adopted him or something…. Or you could just go with the simple idea and take it as the Hokage implied a protection mission. You don't actually have to be the boy's father"

Wolf sighed again, one hand resting lightly on the back of his head, "I suppose your right Weasel… there are not many who would attack the boy if he is under the care of ANBU."

* * *

It was cold and dark and fear radiated off him in waves, the water tugging at his ankles trying to sweep him off towards some unknown place. 'Where am I?

**Ku ku ku… Let the water bring you to me**

'Who are you?' Naruto whispered, eyes fluttering around the area, his terror growing.

**Wouldn't you love to know? I am the one who will always terrify your dreams… what holds me is weakening…. I will escape from my prison. **

His eyes grew to be twice their size as Naruto tried to desperately back away from the echoing voice that held so much hatred and malice. The water around his feet grew angry, pulling him with more force, lapping a little higher each time the little boy tried to back away. Mid-step Naruto lost his footing, falling forwards into the water mouth open in a soft scream. It went up his nostrils and down his throat, choking him as he desperately flailed around in the freezing cold water.

**That's a good human… come to me who shall soon rule over you.**

A pair of blood red fire filled eyes entered his vision, the hatred emanating from what was in the darkness almost palpable. Naruto fought the water harder, desperate to get away. He shut his eyes as a mouth containing razor sharp, bone white teeth grinned eerily at him.

* * *

Wolf and Weasel immediately noticed something was wrong, the monitor attached to the still comatose boy was beeping erratically, his heart rate was climbing to dangerous levels as he writhed on the bed. Wolf jumped into action restraining the boy's arms in a vice like grip, as Weasel bolted from the room to get somebody to control Naruto's heart rate. The skin underneath the ANBU's hands was clammy and covered with a light sheen of cold sweat, his face contorted in a grotesque expression of fear. 'What could be causing him to react like this?'

A nurse ran into the room followed by Weasel, she held a vial and syringe both filled with a clear fluid, "He needs to be sedated ANBU-san, please move."

Wolf moved, loosening his grip, but still holding the boy still. It was at that moment Naruto jerked up right, mouth open in a soundless scream as his eyes flew open filled with fear. The nurse paused as Wolf and Weasel watched to see if the boy was awake or still under the influence of what had him terrified in its grip.

Naruto's eyes quickly scanned the room, taking in the presence of the nurse and the two strange men with animal masks. He realized he was in the Konoha hospital, which meant somebody had found him tied to the tree; his mind pondered this before deciding the one who found him was most likely one of the men with masks. "H-How did I get here?" his voice was shaky and still held terror.

The nurse turned on her heel and strode out of the room muttering to herself, "Awake….is a waste of good medicine…" were the only words that reached the ears of the three in the room.

A depressed look anointed Naruto's tan features, he did not understand why the village was so against him, the words of the nurse made his chest constrict and eyes start to water. Seeing the look on the boy's face did something to the otherwise cold, emotionless ANBU, it pulled gently at the heart strings both remembering times when they themselves felt that same sense of utter despair. "Hey….kid…. Don't cry on us now...keep it together just a while longer." Wolf muttered padding closer to blonde boy.

Naruto grimaced and rolled so that the tears running down his face would go hopefully unnoticed as he buried himself into the pillow. Wolf and Weasel stood by, as the young boy fell asleep both lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

Morning came too fast in Sarutobi's opinion; he was not looking forward to dealing with the council when they learned what he had in mind. It was not something he could keep from them either, the longer they went without knowing, the worse the situation would become when he finally mustered up the guts to tell them exactly what he thought of them. It was bad enough they had found a way to put a limit on his power as Hokage. With a heavy sigh the old man made his way towards the tower intent on talking to Wolf and then diving into his daily dose of paperwork….actually, today was looking more and more like a make a kage bunshin to do the paperwork kind of day, whoever would of known that shadow clones could be so helpful.

Settling behind his desk the old man, waited calmly for Wolf to make his merry way to the office, his wait was a lot shorter than it normally would have been which probably had something to do with his "special" orders to Weasel. Sarutobi was just not in the mood to deal with Wolf's antics lately and right now Weasel was his best shot to get the other man in his office in a timely manner. So it was no surprise when after only an hour past the time he was supposed to meet Wolf that the man was carried in a deposited unceremoniously in a chair by three of Weasel's clones.

"Now that you're here Wolf, will you please remove your mask?"

The man complied revealing another mask covering the lower portion of his face and an inquisitive eye, the other eye was covered by his silver hair. "Hokage-sama, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to take on the guise of Jounin. You will still have ANBU status and take the higher ranked missions, however you duty now is to Naruto. He is under your care and if anything where to happen to him, I can think of a few people who would hunt y-," he paused for a moment before abruptly changing the subject, "So are you prepared for all the trails of being a father, Kakashi?"

The silver haired man twitched, seriously considering if the Hokage had finally gone off the deep end. He gave a small shake of his head to rid himself of his thoughts before answering, "I guess?"

"Now run along to the hospital and get Naruto, the staff knows you are taking him. I don't want him there any longer than is needed; I know you are fully capable of finishing caring for him in his weakened state."

Kakashi gave a nod and poofed away. Sarutobi grinned to himself turning his eyes to the pictures on the wall, "Yondaime… I hope this can somehow make up for the years of mistreatment. Your student will do well raising Naruto… maybe the boy can even get Kakashi to become more human. He has never been the same since losing everyone else on his team as well as his father."

* * *

He wandered lazily into the hospital his wolf mask once again back in place, 'Well how hard can raising a child be?'

Kakashi checked the boy out of the hospital and quickly made his way to his small apartment setting the sleeping boy on his bed. The man removed his mask and tanto placing both in a drawer before grabbing a pair of lose sweatpants and a shirt from the dresser, intent on a shower.

He left the bathroom to find Naruto still sleeping, sighing the ninja walked over and lightly shook the boy's shoulder, "Mah, you should get up kiddo. We need to have a talk about this whole situation."

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Up in his tower the Hokage gazed at his crystal, 'Oh Kakashi… you have no idea…. I guess today you learn Naruto parenting lesson one: never wake a sleeping blonde… it can prove to be a terrible mistake.'

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A/N: Well that is Chapter Two, now back to tor- studying I go.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing….wish I did but I don't have that kind of money T.T. 

**Holy crap its four a.m...why am i still awake..? And thank you to those who reveiwed! **

**Edit: Thank you to IC-KakaNaruKaka-luvr for catching some of my grammer mistakes ^.^**

**EDITED 2/10/11 **

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Naruto glared at the man who had woken him, oh yes this silver haired man was going to pay…nobody woke him from his dreams of being the best ramen chef/ hokage…nobody! As the boy thought, an evil smirk blossomed on his face…. 'I don't know who he is, but old man Jiji-sama….he knows better…this walking target needs to learn to.'

* * *

_-Flashback-_

_Sarutobi crept into the blonde child's bedroom, wanting to talk to him about going to stay with another caretaker. He woke the boy up and received a harsh glare; something was telling him to watch his back for the next few days. _

_The next morning Sarutobi went to take his shower only to find tea pouring out of the shower head…he went to dry his hair to find his white towels had been coated in powdered milk and worst of all… he opened his fridge to find his fridge was completely empty except for a jar of mayo and a note, 'Enjoy old man.' _

_The old man spent two hours trying to get the scent of the powdered milk out of his hair and then Sandaime reluctantly made a trip to the local market,_

_buying an apple and small carton of milk before heading to the office. _

_-End Flashback-_

* * *

Kakashi saw the daggers being shot at his face from Naruto's eyes, he suddenly found himself very afraid of the smirk the boy was giving him. "….kid we need to talk."

Naruto jerked himself away from his plotting the innocent six year old demeanor returning, "About what old man-san?", already deciding on a childish nickname for the jounin.

"You're going to be staying with me for a while Kid… Hokage thinks it is best if I look after you until you can do so for yourself…. And I am not old, I am only twenty!"

"Why is that old man-san?"

Kakashi twitched, 'why? Sensei…and Sandaime…what did I ever do to deserve this!' He looked at the small kid and sat down next to him, deciding it would be best to get most of the hard stuff out of the way now, "I am here to make sure nothing happens to you kid… and please call me Kakashi-san at least?"

Naruto looked Kakashi up and down, "Kakashi-san… are you a Cyclops? I only your see one eye."

"You have seen too many monster movies kid. Now come on… tell me a little about yourself so I can work on figuring out what to get for now." the jounin said thinking to himself, 'My apartment is not child ready… I never wanted to have any of them in my home…. Hopefully he can clue me in on what he wants and likes…I don't want to ask any of the ninja moms…. The last time somebody did that…' he gave a small shudder and blinked at the small tan hand waving in front of his face.

"-shi-san? Are you alive?"

"Yes kid… now tell me about yourself."

"I already did…you went all spacey-no-lights-on-upstairs."

"Tell it again… and who taught you to talk kid?"

" My name is Naruto! Not kid!"

'Finally he notices what I have been calling him, I couldn't just call him his name right of the bat... Wait I could of… he probably figures Sandaime would of told me…great now he thinks I am being mean to him.' again he found a tan hand in front of his face.

"Don't go spacey-no-lights-upstairs… I don't like telling people things three times."

"That was the last time I will do that I promise Naruto-chan."

"I like orange, and black, and blue! Foxes are pretty…so are wolves…and dogs….and birds. Birds sing a lot of songs… I like to sing! I wanna be a bird! Ramen is yummy….I hate tomatoes and snakes…I wanna be a ninja…I wanna be strong, like Jiji-sam! I am not a girl, so don't call me Naruto-chan! The other people taught me." the whole rant was said in one huge breathe and really told very little about Naruto.

Kakashi could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on, "Naruto, I call you Naruto-chan because you're little not because I think you're a girl…now come with me the bathroom so I can look at your bandages."

Kakashi took Naruto into the bathroom and lifted him up to sit on the counter near the sink. He opened the cabinet and pulled out a small first aid kit. The kit had served him well over the years and it was time it served another. He pulled out the small scissors and slowly cut the bandages away from the boy, wincing as some of the scabs came off too, letting small droplets of crimson roll down. "Naruto this may hurt a little, but I have to clean your wounds okay?"

The young boy nodded slowly, he bit his lower lip in anticipation of the antiseptic the older man was pouring onto a cloth. Kakashi tried to be as gentle as he could as he cleaned the wounds, but he couldn't help to notice that the word carved below the boy's collar bone was going to scar. Naruto gave a small his, the solution burning the sensitive wound. "Just one more."

The blonde clenched his small hand, and gritted his teeth slightly as the man finished and began rewrapping his wounds. "That wasn't so bad now was it?" Kakashi murmured ruffling the youngsters hair, "Are you hungry?"

The little boy nodded vigorously, "Can you tell me about you?"

Kakashi set the boy on his feet and handed him a set of his clothes from when he was younger, get changed and meet me in the next room ok?"

Without waiting for an answer Kakashi left the room, and Naruto quickly got changed into the blue t shirt and blue shorts. The boy then looked around the room… wanting a way to prank the older man. His eyes settled on the bottles of shampoo and conditioner. He peeled off the labels and switched them, 'This is only the beginning.'

Kakashi saw the boy leave the bathroom and started heading for the kitchen, hoping Naruto would follow. The child did, and watched curiously as Kakashi rummaged in the cupboard, pulling out a box of pancake mix…then his eyes noticed the dog food bowls on the floor on the other side of the room. "Kakashi… do you have dogs?"

"Yes Naruto, I have dogs." he said, slowly adding red and yellow food coloring to the powder in the bowl before measuring out the right amount of water.

"Can I play with them?"

"After I take you out to get some things, I guess you could." the silver haired man deftly maneuvered the spatula under the orange colored pancake and flipped it in the air.

"Kakashi… you haven't told me anything!"

"What do you want to know Naruto?"

"What is your favorite color? Why is your hair silver? Why does it stand up?" Naruto said this hoping from foot to foot in his excitement, he felt safe with the silver haired man.

"My favorite color, … well it depends on the day of the week. My hair is clan trait. Now eat your pancakes."

Naruto dove into the food with gusto, making his new caretaker watch for a moment, pondering how in the world the boy was not choking. 'This caretaker thing is much harder than I thought.'

Kakashi washed the dishes and slipped his sandals on, "Let's get this shopping thing over with."

* * *

If Kakashi had known how much trouble taking the blonde whirlwind shopping would be, he was sure the boy would have stayed at his apartment. Naruto insisted on running around and left the twenty year olds sight every two minutes. "Naruto! You don't need another stuffed animal!"

Naruto gave the man his best I-want-it-and-you-will-buy-it look and Kakashi felt himself begin to cave. He said the six year old could get that one, but then they really needed to go look at clothes in a shop further down the street. Naruto gave a cry of happiness and nuzzled into the white fur of the fox plush, unaware of the looks his action got him. Kakashi,however, noticed the looks and gently led him to the front of the store, where he paid for the six stuffed animals and then left the store Naruto in tow.

The duo arrived at the clothing shop and Naruto was given free rein to pick out a few outfits for himself. Kakashi kept a sharp eye on the boy as he happily bounced around picking out things he liked. The boy returned with shorts,pants,a jacket and an assortment of shirts. He grinned and asked if he could get one more thing. Kakashi asked him what it was and the child pointed to a case that held some necklaces, the one Naruto wanted was a celtic knot design with the knot being made out of interwining dragons. "Maybe another time, Naruto-chan."

After the last stop, they returned to the apartment and Kakashi carried what they had bought into the spare bedroom, setting the packages down on the bed, he made his way back to Naruto and said. "I promised you could play with my dogs right?"

Naruto nodded eagerly as Kakashi flew through the seals and in puff of smoke Pakkun and Bull appeared. "Pakkun, can you and Bull keep Naruto-chan company while I try and set up his room?"

"Sure boss"

Naruto grinned, 'Maybe his dogs can help me prank him.'

* * *

A/N:Well there is chapter three ^.^ If anyone has any ideas for pranks feel free to share them! The light hearted tone of this chapter is soon to disappear I am afraid...*rubs hands together* the evil plot bunny bit me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: So I got this letter in the mail from Kishimoto…..and I still own nothing….**

**Thank you to those who reviewed and those who suggested prank ideas! **

**A/N: No more finals and I get to go home today for a month! Updates may be sporadic, but I intend to try and update at least twice a week….it all depends on my work schedule and if mom needs help with anything after her arm surgery and I am sure she will…guess that means that the daughter who can parallel park with no problem, but can't pull in a parking space will be getting a lot of practice. Maybe after this month I can actually pass my road test and get my license? Now enough with my mini rant… on to the story!**

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Kakashi stood staring at the walls of the spare bedroom, 'Where to start making the bed or putting away the clothes? Sensei…I sound like a woman.'

He sighed pulling out the light orange sheets and putting them, followed by the black comforter, onto the bed. Next he found the black and orange pillows and the stuffed animals placing them neatly on top of the comforter before moving all the clothes to the dresser. The room was still not personal, but Kakashi wanted to leave placing the figurines and books onto the bookcase for Naruto so he would not feel left out, 'Now what do I want to make for lunch? Miso soup with eggplant sounds good; I wonder if Naruto-chan will like it? '

With his plans in mind, Kakashi strolled out into the living room watching Pakkun, Bull and Naruto discussing something in hushed tones. "What are you muttering about?"

* * *

As soon as Kakashi left the room Naruto leaned close to the dogs asking, "Do you want to help me prank Kakashi-san?"

Pakkun was silent for a moment mulling the question over, 'If I prank him boss may get mad, but this would be revenge for him keeping that juicy steak from me two days ago. How he thought he could have that in the fridge and not have me begging for some I don't know.'

Bull looked at Pakkun his answer plain to see in his large brown eyes, he wanted to prank Kakashi, but would not do so unless Pakkun would too. The little pug thought for few more seconds before grinning, "I'm in. What did you have in mind kid?"

The six year old leaned close to the dogs and began whispering in hushed tones what he had in mind.

The jounin's voice brought their discussion to a close as Naruto answered hurriedly, "We were just talking about your hair."

Pakkun gave a snort and ran towards Kakashi, "Hey boss can I have one of those milk bones?"

The man sighed grabbing the box from the counter. He threw a bone lazily in the air and chuckled as the pug leapt up to catch it. "Bull, catch."

The large bull dog waited until the treat had hit the ground before snatching it up. He padded over and curled up near Naruto chewing on the treat. The blonde lay back, resting his head on the dogs flank. The animal ignored the added weight and continued eating the bone. Kakashi took in the sight and was mildly surprised Bull had not reacted to Naruto's move. 'Sensei if you saw what I am seeing… you would faint.'

* * *

-Flashback-

_A ten year old Kakashi stood near the lake with a brown puppy nipping lightly at his ankles. An older blonde man stood to his right, "Mah Kakashi-kun is that your new ninken?"_

_"Yeah, this little guy is Bull." _

_The blonde shook his head and knelt down reaching out to pet the pup only to have his hand bitten. He gave a startled yelp in surprise and glared at Bull. "You need to train him better Kakashi-kun."_

_The silver haired youngster grinned beneath his mask, "Sensei, Bull doesn't like anyone besides my father and I."_

_"When I have kids your dogs are never coming near them."_

_"Sensei, I don't want to see your kids; little blonde terrors running around Konoha? No Thanks."_

_His sensei grumbled and ruffled his hair affectionately, "I can't wait to make you watch them," the blonde thought for a moment, "I already have reproduced, but he hasn't been born yet."_

_Kakashi groaned. _

-End Flashback-

* * *

'I still can't believe that was how he decided to tell me Kushina was pregnant.' Kakashi shook his head and looked at the small boy, 'The least I can do is look out for him since your both gone.'

Naruto had one hand on the dogs collar and his other arm was holding Pakkun to his chest. All three were snoring softly. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, 'He definitely has his father's snoring habits.'

The man went into the kitchen and began making lunch as he hummed a jaunty little tune.

* * *

Naruto once again found himself standing in water; the only difference was it was not trying to pull him towards the creature leering at him from behind the bars.

**"You look so much like the man who imprisoned me. I wonder if your blood tastes the same as his."**

Naruto shivered backing away. "What are you?"

**"I am you… and I will escape and take over."**

Naruto screamed.

* * *

Kakashi was stirring the soup on the stove when he heard the shout full of fear and worry, "Boss!"

He stopped stirring and strode into the living room, knowing that for Pakkun to sound like that something had to be wrong and it was. Naruto was pale and sweating, his jaw was clenched and his muscles were tense. Pakkun wriggled in his arms trying to escape the grip the five year old had on him. Kakashi kneeled next to Naruto and gently shook him, "Come on Naruto, wake up before you crush Pakkun."

The blonde did not react to the words of the older man, "Boss, do I need to nip him?"

'Sensei would kill me for this.' Kakashi groaned, "Lightly and make sure you don't hurt him at all. I don't want to see any marks!"

The pug nodded and lightly bit the finger that was closest to his mouth.

* * *

**"I will destroy the people who dared to challenge me! No insignificant whelp will stand in my way, not even you!"**

Harsh laughter rang out strongly deafening the small figure as the creature in the cage thudded forward. Naruto saw the orange-red fur and shook in fear of what was coming closer into his line of sight. Just as the creature was about to enter his full field of vision a sharp pain on one of his fingers spurred him into running away from the cage. As he rounded the corner the evil voice rang out, **"Run all you want, but there is no where you can hide from me! I will have you!"**

Kakashi sighed in relief as Naruto's blue eyes snapped open, "Naruto-chan come here I want to talk to you."

Naruto released his grip on the dogs and followed the man into the kitchen. Kakashi returned to his cooking as the youngster sat at the table, wondering what the other wanted to talk to him about. "Naruto, what were you dreaming about?"

He shivered and clenched his small hands, "I-I s-sa-saw a mon-monster."

The man paused, he had a sinking suspicion it was not just any monster, but he needed to confirm his thoughts. "Can you tell me what the monster said to you and what it looked like Naruto-chan?"

"He w-was big an-and re-red an-and he sa-said he wou-would get ou-out. He wa-wants t-to de-destr-destroy the vill-vill-village." as he was speaking tears began to roll down his tan cheeks, "W-wha-what d-do-does de-destro-destroy mean?"

Kakashi was unsure what to tell the boy. The jounin left his cooking once again and gently ruffled the blonde locks whispering, "The monster can't hurt you. Don't worry about what that word means okay Naruto-chan?"

Naruto wiped his tears away and looked at Kakashi with watery eyes, "R-rea-really?"

"Really, Naruto-chan."

* * *

Kakashi was pleasantly surprised to find Naruto liked Miso soup with eggplant. The dish was something Kakashi's sensei never liked; the man figured that would carry over to Naruto. Kakashi engaged the boy in a light hearted game of scrabble and used it to expand his vocabulary. There were many indignant cries of "That is not a word!" from the boy.

After being forced to explain what 'Scarecrows and 'Whirlpools' were, Kakashi called an end to the game. The time passed quickly as both learned more about the other playing games. Kakashi learned Naruto was smarter than the average five year old, but still wasn't anywhere near genius status. Naruto learned the orange books were not for children and he promised not to open them.

The pair was sitting on the floor of the living room watching Pakkun and Bull play when the clock struck 9 p.m. Kakashi looked at the boy next to him and said, "Come on Naruto, let's get you to your room. I left some of the things you wanted in the bags so you can decorate to your liking, and then I want you to go to bed."

Naruto nodded and followed Kakashi to his room, He opened the last of the bags and began arranging the frog, wolf and fox figures on the dresser and end table. The plant he put on the windowsill and the books he stacked on the desk in the corner. The child then climbed into the bed, accidentally knocking the white fox plush to the floor, and closed his eyes. Kakashi bent down and picked up the plush, he handed it to Naruto before telling him goodnight and headed to his own room intent on getting some sleep.

* * *

Naruto waited until he was sure Kakashi was asleep and quietly climbed out of bed. He entered the living room again and muttered softly, "Bull, Pakkun where are you?"

The two dogs got up and walked to the boy. "Is the game plan the same?"

"Yes Pakkun it is."

The trio went their separate ways, each completing a different section of the prank before returning to bed. Naruto felt bad for pranking the man because he was being so nice to him, but he also wanted revenge for being woken up and he had already asked the dogs to help.

* * *

Kakashi awoke with the idea something was going to go drastically wrong with his morning. He padded into the bathroom and started his shower, he washed his hair and body and grabbed a large white fluffy towel before moving to stand in front of the mirror. 'My hair still looks dirty….maybe there is some shampoo left in it.'

He again entered the shower and rinsed his hair, before again wrapping the towel loosely around his hips and standing in front of the mirror. The man brushed his teeth noticing that the toothpaste tasted off, thinking nothing of it he went to his room and began getting dressed.

Once in the kitchen the man began making breakfast only to find none of the eggs would come out of the carton. Kakashi fought with them and ended up with a mess in his fridge, he twitched. 'What is going on this morning?'

He then poured himself a glass of milk only to find the labels of the juice and milk had been switched around. The jounin then went to open the door to his apartment, intent on getting the mail, only to have a bucket of pink paint land all over him. 'Yup, somebody is definitely out to get me today.'

He went to take another shower only to find the paint not wash completely out of his hair. The man grumbled about having terrible neighbors and went to find his sandals. He found them shredded and chewed beyond recognition. Kakashi was twitching heavily as he walked to the entrance of Naruto's room. He opened the door to see the boy, Bull and Pakkun all together sleeping soundly. Kakashi walked over to the bed and said loudly, his tone slightly dangerous, "Would you mind explaining to me why everything seems to be wrong this morning?"

Naruto took one look at Kakashi and laughed.

* * *

**Well, this chapter was a little longer ^.^**

**Until next time...Ja' Ne!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I did, but wishing gets me nowhere.**

Two weeks after Kakashi took Naruto in, Sarutobi asked him to come to tower to give his first report. That morning, as the alarm was going off, Naruto leapt onto Kakashi. He bounced up and down on his chest shouting, "Kakashi-san! Kakashi-san! Jiji-sama wants to see you! Kakashi-san!"

The silver haired man grumbled and swatted half heartedly at the boy. He couldn't help the small grin that formed beneath his mask, "Naruto-chan…I will get up in a minute. Go grab a shower and get dressed."

The child grinned and ran off to do what he was told leaving Kakashi to think. The jounin sat up and ran a hand through his hair, his thoughts all over the place 'Sensei… what am I doing? I don't know how to raise a child! What were you thinking Sarutobi? How can I be right for this? These two weeks have been okay, but… I don't know where to go from here. I don't even know if I am a good father figure. '

The man sighed, and grabbed the orange book from his bedside table in an effort to relax, 'I wonder if he gets Junko?'

Naruto stood leaning against the bathroom wall thinking to himself, 'Should I tell Kakashi-san about my nightmares? They really scare me, but what can he do?'

The blonde stepped into the shower and turned the water on. His shower was a short one and the time it took for him to get dressed and go back to Kakashi's room was even shorter. Naruto entered the room and twitched; Kakashi was laying on the bed, book covering his face, snoring lightly. Naruto growled, annoyance in his eyes, "Kakashi-san! Get up!"

Kakashi groaned and sat up, his book falling to the ground. "Okay Naruto."

* * *

The Hokage tapped his fingers impatiently against his desk, 'Next time I am going to tell him to get here several hours before I need him.'

Sarutobi grumbled and gently rubbed his temples. His thoughts were interrupted as a blonde blur burst into the room and gave him a hard hug. The old man returned the hug as Kakashi strode into the office scratching the back of his head. "Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me?"

"I was wondering how Naruto is settling in."

"He is….doing alright. There have been no threats yet; I plan to start training him soon."

"He is almost old enough to join the academy; Do you intend to cover the basics?"

"Of course Hokage-sama. Naruto needs to know how to protect himself, but I want him to be able to use live weapons." Kakashi said softly.

The Hokage grinned as he saw the almost fatherly undertone in Kakashi's eyes and looked down at the blonde boy who was quietly watching the birds outside the window oblivious to the conversation taking place. " You have my permission to teach him, however, make sure he understands using live weapons in the academy or outside of training and protecting himself will not be tolerated."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Your dismissed."

Kakashi nodded and spoke softly, "Naruto, do you want to go train with me?"

Hearing the word "train", Naruto perked up and leapt from Sarutobi's lap. "Let's go!"

Sarutobi chuckled at the childlike antics and shooed the pair from his office, returning his attention to the pile of paper work in front of him.

* * *

Naruto ran excitedly ahead of him, eyes shining with glee. "Come on Kakashi-san! Hurry!"

The older man grinned softly beneath his mask, 'Sensei, he reminds me of you.'

Naruto bounced forward, accidentally bumping into an elderly villager. She made a move to lash out at him only to have her wrist caught by the jounin. "You will not strike the child. It was an accident and he is causing no harm to anyone."

Her gaze smoldered, "Hai Ninja-sama."

Kakashi released her wrist and reached out taking a hold of Naruto's small hand causing the surrounding crowd to gasp. The blonde glanced up and caught sight of the anger glowing beneath the surface of his caretaker's eyes and he lost his cheery attitude. The rest of the walk to the training grounds was silent. They arrived and Kakashi knealt in front of Naruto asking, "What is wrong? I thought you were excited to train?"

The boy averted his blue eyes and shuffled his feet, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to bump into her. I will never do it again, I promise."

Kakashi growled and when he saw Naruto flinch away he spoke in a harsh tone, "Do not apologize for accidents! Your just a kid. She was in the wrong to try and strike you."

Naruto shuffled again and nodded, meeting the grey eyes that stared down at him, "Can we start training now?"

The jounin reached into his weapons pouch and took out a shuriken. He knelt down next to Naruto wrapping the child's tan hand properly around the weapon. Kakashi instructed the boy into the proper stance and told him to aim for the center pole. Naruto concentrated hard and made several practice throwing motions before actually releasing the shuriken; it flew backwards and landed two feet from the jounin. The blonde turned around and gave the other a sheepish look, "Sorry Kakashi-san!"

Scratching behind his head the older man picked up the shuriken and handed it back to the blonde boy, "Try again Naruto and make sure you release when I showed you."

He nodded and again tried to hit the target; this time he was two feet short of the target. Kakashi went and handed him another shuriken and knelt behind him, guiding his arm through the motion of throwing the star again. He repeated the motion several times before telling Naruto to let go when he said. This time the weapon struck the target. Kakashi stepped away and instructed the boy to try again on his own. Naruto managed to strike the target on his own.

It was then Kakashi heard a familiar voice saying, "Kakashi, my eternal rival I challenge you to a most youthful battle! The loser has to do 500 laps around Konoha!"

"Gai I am busy. Another time okay?"

"What youthful thing is making you turn down my most interesting of challenges?" the other said curiously.

It was then that Naruto chose to turn around and look at the other man who was speaking. His blue eyes widened in fear and he ran close to Kakashi, clutching the man's pant leg for dear life. "Kakashi-san! It's a monster!"

Gai blinked and looked at the blonde child, "I do not see any monsters! I will defend you and your bright flame of youth from any monsters!"

Naruto cringed and buried his face into the fabric, "Kakashi-san! Its scary!"

Gai kneeled and reached out towards the boy, eliciting a cry of terror. Kakashi rolled his eyes and spoke in a soft tone, "Gai you're scaring him."

The green beast stood again and with tear filled eyes declared loudly, "For scaring this most youthful child I will do 500 laps around Konoha on my hands!"

The pair stared as Gai took off, moving quickly, his legs in the air. Kakashi rubbed his temples, 'Why am I friends with that mad man again?'

Naruto tugged at his protectors pants, "Can we go home now? I don't want to train anymore today."

Kakashi nodded, taking his hand and began walking back towards the village after collecting the three shuriken.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Writers block can be a pain... I had nothing for this story, but plenty for my own ^.^


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

_A/N: Well this update was long over do, but things have been a little insane lately._

_

* * *

_

Back at the apartment Naruto ran for the couch diving onto it, "Kakashi-san! Kakashi-san! I want to watch a movie! Can I?"

"What movie?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want me to choose the movie?"

"You can pick."

Kakashi sighed and began examining his meager stock of movies, 'I could let him watch this, but this could make him scared. I don't want to watch a movie that is strictly for children…I guess I could sit through a flick from the eighties.'

He popped in the film and sat down next to the blonde, blinking in surprise when Naruto curled up close to his side. 'Sensei, I think I am growing fond of your son.'

During the film, Naruto drifted into his own thoughts and closer to the jounin. 'Kakashi-san is really nice to me; I hope I can stay with him for good. He is strong, and amazing…like a dad. He doesn't seem like he would hurt me, but his kindness could be an act.'

In a slightly scary scene the small boy grabbed a hold of Kakashi's shirt clinging tightly as he shut his eyes tightly. Kakashi could help himself; he cracked a small smile and wrapped an arm around the boy whispering, "I will tell you when it is over okay?"

The reply came in a small nod of the head and a tightening of a hand. Naruto gave a small cry when he opened his eyes for a moment to look again at the scary scene before him. The comforting arm rubbed his shoulder for a moment in response to the cry of terror. "The scene is over now."

Naruto lifted his eyes to the screen again and released his hold on the older man. "Thank you."

The rest of the movie passed uneventfully. As it finished, Kakashi looked to the side to see the boy was asleep. He picked him up gently and carried him, putting him into bed. The silver haired man went to leave the room and paused. He looked back at the sleeping boy and approached again tucking the blankets more snuggly around his small form before going to his own room for the night.

* * *

Kyuubi stirred, reaching out tendrils of chakra. He gave a barking laugh, revealing all of his bone white teeth. His guttural voice rumbling out, "**Time to have some fun host**!"

The chakra wormed its way farther into Naruto's mind, hunting for him. It found the boy with his back turned and launched itself at him. Naruto's mouth opened in a soundless scream and his mental image of himself began to burn.

* * *

**_(inside Naruto's mind)_**

_The sky turned an angry black and the silence became deafening. The slow, steady drip of something hitting the ground could barely be heard in the distance. His feet pulled him forward towards the sound amid the ruins of what once had been a great ninja village. His piercing gaze took in every detail…from the crumbling buildings to the faces of the dead. Their eyes glazed over and their faces silent masks of terror. He continued on for the only sound, the sound of something dripping._

_What felt like hours past and the source of the sound revealed itself…blood. He looked down at his hands and saw they were covered in it….it kept dripping from all around rising around him, covering him, drowning him._

* * *

Kakashi jerked awake his left hand flying for kunai he kept hidden under his pillow. His gaze narrowed as he scanned the room, taking in his surroundings quickly as he leapt from bed. He sensed no enemies and relaxed slightly; he entered the hallway and quickly made his way to Naruto's room. His hand was shaking as he opened the door.

Kakashi dropped the kunai on entering the room and bolted forward hands clamping down on the convulsing boy's arms. Naruto's eyes flew open and the older man flinched slightly. Instead of the usual sapphire blue, Kakashi saw blood red.

Naruto's eyes slid shut again and the convulsions stopped as quickly as they had begun.

* * *

Kyuubi called his chakra back and retreated further into the mental cave. "**So I can take control of your dreams my host**."

The water outside the bars boiled and the mental form of Naruto rose from it. "What…what is going on?"

The fox spoke from the shadows, "**Nothing…yet**."

* * *

Kakashi sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, "I need to figure this out. What just happened?"

He ran a hand through his silver hair and got up once again going to leave the room, when a small tanned hand grabbed a hold of his pant leg. "Kakashi-san I'm scared."

Kakashi's eyes softened for a moment, "Naruto what was your dream about?"

"The village was gone. There was so much blood. My hands…were red."

Kakashi leaned down and pulled the boy into a hug. "That won't happen. I will protect you from anything that could hurt you."

Naruto whimpered and buried his head into the older man's shoulder silent tears running down his tan face. "Kakashi-san I don't want to go back to sleep. I don't want to be scared."

"How about I sit right here with you until you decide you can go back to bed?"

"Okay."

* * *

Morning came much too soon in Kakashi's opinion and he was seriously thinking about getting a more comfortable chair. Sometime during the night the jounin had moved from the edge of the bed to the wicker chair in the corner and was now paying for it. 'What was I thinking last night? Those chairs are evil. Sensei…your son is getting me to do things nobody has ever been able to. He is under my skin.'

The man shook his head and padded for the shower hoping Naruto had not gotten a good look at his pajamas. The child had made enough comments about his mask and he really did not want to hear about his shuriken and kunai patterned pants and his shirt with domo on it. He was only in his twenties after all, there was no rule saying his sleepwear had to be professional.

Eyeing the shampoo bottle suspiciously still, he examined the contents before putting it in his hair. The same was done with the toothpaste after his shower. "I'll be damned if I let him prank me again."

Kakashi quickly got dressed in his jounin uniform and crossed off another date on the calendar. This was the second to last day before Naruto would be entering the ninja academy and Kakashi wanted to make sure he was ready.

* * *

Naruto rolled out of bed and quickly went through his morning routine and got dressed in his tan shorts and bright orange shirt. The boy bolted down the hall and pulled on his sandals, scooped up his pouch of practice weapons and started for the door. 'I need to get this right. I need to protect the old man!'

Kakashi poked his head out from around the entrance to the kitchen, "Breakfast first."

Naruto groaned and grumbled as he hoisted himself up into one of the chairs at the table. He pouted as the older man sat a bowl in front of him. "I don't want to wait."

The jounin sat across from him and said with a smile "You know, if you keep making that face…you will be stuck like that."

Naruto grumbled even more, but ate his breakfast. He finished in record time making even Kakashi blink. "Now can I go practice?"

"I am coming with you."

"Why? I am old enough to go alone."

"I need to go to a meeting. All I am doing is walking you there and picking you up after."

His sapphire eyes narrowed in anger at being treated like a child, but Naruto agreed.

* * *

Naruto threw the shuriken again and again. He grew more and more upset every time the weapons went sailing past the posts. "Why can't I get this right?"

Two pairs of eyes watched him from the trees. The presence of the watchers went unnoticed by the boy.

He eventually fell to his knees and hit the ground with a small fist, "I can't do this. I can't be a good ninja! I can't even hit one target!"

The two figures in the trees looked at each other. The man on the right gave a hand signal and the pair leapt down behind the boy. They both clutched kunai in their hands and moved forward. Naruto heard the footsteps and turned to look. "Who are you?"

Neither man said a word.

The boy got up and tried to run only to have a hand snatch his arm and another hand pressed a cloth over his mouth and nose. Naruto struggled less and less as his world faded into darkness.

The man who made the signal originally picked up the five year old and leapt into the trees and the other followed close behind.

* * *

Kakashi arrived at the training ground and looked around for Naruto. He didn't find him anywhere, but he did find the shuriken the boy had been training with. 'Naruto wouldn't just leave his weapons lying around like this, not after the lecture I gave him about that on our way here.'

Kakashi spent an hour checking the woods around the training grounds before noticing the small scrap of orange cloth hanging on a tree. "I can't let this turn into something bad. I need to find him before they do something to him!"

* * *

_A/N: So ends another chapter._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Kakashi lept into the tree tops, his heart pounding in his ears. The man's mind kept bringing up images of torture and blood messing up his timing as he jumped. His foot missed a branch he started to fall to the ground. He reached out with a chakra infused hand and took hold of a branch stopping him. Kakashi let go and fell to the ground landing in a crouch; he flew through a system of hand signs and bit his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground crying out, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The summons appeared with a soft pop and the dogs all looked to Kakashi. Pakkun raised his left paw saying, "Boss, what do you need us to do? I don't sense any chakra around."

"Pakkun, I need you to go to the Hokage and tell him they took Naruto."

The pugs eyes widened, "Who? Who took the little blonde?"

"I don't know! Just go tell him! I am going to keep looking."

Pakkun nodded and took off running as fast as his small legs could carry him.

The jounin watched the pug disappear from sight before turning to look at the other dogs. He pulled the shred of orange fabric from his pocket and held it out for the dogs, 'This is the scent you're looking for. If you find it immediately alert me. Now spread out…Bull you're with me."

The large dog bobbed his head and started running straight ahead as Kakashi followed from the tree tops.

* * *

Sarutobi sat buried up to his ears in paperwork. The old man shook his wrist in an effort to get rid of the cramps before returning to signing the countless forms. He paused in his signing however when he heard scratching sounds outside the office door. The old man reluctantly stood up and made his way over to the door, "What is going on out here?"

"This summon was trying to enter your office without authorization."

The hokage noticed the angry look on the pugs face and that he was being held by the scruff of his neck and appeared to have bitten the guard's ankles. "Since your new here, I will let this slide, but whenever a summon comes without its master, it tends to be important. Now, set Pakkun down and remember this for next time."

The guard gave a sheepish salute and set the dog down, "Yes Hokage-sama."

* * *

Naruto struggled in his bonds as his two captors discussed the next course of action. The blond boy managed to twist his body in such a way that he was able to use his teeth to pull on the ropes binding his wrists to his chest. His mind was all over the place as his fear filled eyes roamed all over trying to find an escape route, 'I need to get away! I need to get home.'

He pulled even harder at the ropes and felt the pressure increase. The only thing he was succeeding in doing was making the ropes even tighter. 'What do I do?'

'I can help you…just come to me,' a masculine voice rumbled from inside the boys head.

Naruto blinked, 'Am I going crazy?'

He heard no answer.

* * *

Kakashi was growing more and more frantic with every passing second, 'I just can't lose him too! He needs to be okay! Come on, one of you needs to pick up the scent.'

The jounin growled to himself and moved a little faster ignoring the fatigue that was beginning to set in his muscles from not taking a small break.

"Pakkun, why did Kakashi not come to my office in person?"

The pug winced once before telling the hokage what he knew. Saurtobi stood from his desk and spoke in a hurried voice, "Pakkun, go tell Kakashi to hold his position until the team I am going to send arrives."

The dog nodded and ran out the door as Sarutobi sent out a hawk to summon a squad to his office.

* * *

Naruto squirmed more in his bonds and gave a small cry when the ropes bit into his flesh slightly, 'Why can't I get free?'

His cry attracted the attention of the men who had kidnapped him. The taller of the two grumbled and walked over to the five year old. He pulled down his hood, revealed a headband with the symbol for a village Naruto had never heard of and spoke in a soft voice, "Please don't struggle too much. My master wants you in one piece when he sees you."

The other man laughed harshly, "One piece at until he gets to him you mean."

Naruto's eyes widened as he thrashed even harder much to his kidnappers amusement. The boy suddenly stopped moving as his eyes rolled up and his body went into what looked like a seizure. The man who had taken off his hood kneeled and held the child still, "What is going on with him?"

The other ran forward saying, "I don't know what happened!"

They both held him still as the seizures wracked his small body; the episode only lasted a few moments before his eyes opened again. Both men stumbled back in shock at the red they saw seeping out of his skin and pooling in his eyes. He growled out, "I will get free and I will get you for this."

The man closest slammed a hand to the back of the boy's head and knocked him out. He turned to his partner and said, "Kai, who exactly is this boy?"

"All I was told was we needed to kidnap the boy with the whisker marks. If I knew more I would be telling you right about now."

* * *

Pakkun skidded to a halt near Bull and barked out, "Where is Kakashi?"

Bull grumbled his answer and the pug shouted at the top of his lungs for the jounin to stop moving and wait for the team to arrive. The pug's words were drowned out by a howl in the distance. Kakashi quickly changed direction as Pakkun growled and headed back towards the village again muttering, "This is ridiculous."

Kakashi quickly reached the dog that had howled and said, "Follow the scent."

* * *

The captors heard the howl and Kai hefted the blond over his shoulder, "How far are we from the border?"

"A few days."

They moved faster.

* * *

A/N: Another chapter down. I will hopefully have another update out soon. If anyone wants to guess what village the kidnappers are from take a guess in a review or PM me your guess.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters but I do own the conversations that led to this part of the story.

A/N- Sorry it took so long to update I had no internet access this summer. -.-'

* * *

The Hokage was surrounded by several masked men and women. The figures listened closely as the elderly man spoke, "Your going on a mission of the utmost importance. Naruto has been kidnapped. I have picked each of you for this mission because I trust you to do the right thing and to also keep Kakashi from losing himself in his drive to save the boy. Pakkun can lead you to Kakashi, he will be waiting at the gate. Dismissed."

The group of Anbu vanished quickly moving for the gate as Sarutobi moved from the window to his desk slowly his old age showing in each movement. He pulled a stack of papers close and began the tedious task of being the head administrator of an entire village again. The old man managed to get a quarter of the way through the stack before he set his pen down and reached into a desk drawer. Sarutobi pulled out a plain flask and took a long drink before returning the flask to his desk, "I wonder how much longer I can keep this secret?"

The Hokage shook his head and returned to his paperwork.

* * *

The kidnappers tried to hold the blonde boy still as he seized. Both glanced worriedly at each other, neither daring to speak. The seizure stopped quickly and the taller of the kidnappers checked Naruto's pulse, "Taki he has a pulse so stop looking so scared."

Taki responded in a shaky voice, "Karu, your one to talk. I could swear you were about to keel over."

The taller man, Karu growled, "Shut up Taki! You can carry his dead weight."

Karu growled and shouldered Nauruto's limp form. The duo continued deeper into the woods.

-Naruto's mindscape-

The boy ran down a long hallway the water pulling at his legs. He headed for the light at the end of the hall praying it would get him out of this mental sewer. His hopes quickly fell through as he suddenly found himself in a large room with a row of large steel bars across one end. "What in the world is that?"

Naruto heard a rumbling chuckle from the depths of the cage and cautiously moved forward. His eyes became filled with more and more fear and dread the closer he came to the giant cage. Ten feet from the cage the boy went stock still shaking in fear as two large red eyes turned their gaze onto his small form. Two rows of razor sharp teeth grinned in the gloom as a deep voice emanated around the room, "So we finally meet face to face boy. You look so much like him that I think consuming you would make up for the injustices I have suffered. Come closer if you dare; step through the bars and give in."

Naruto shook heavily and started to back pedal only to find himself falling back in fear as the creature behind the bars threw itself into them causing the whole room to shake. "Don't run away from me boy!"

The blonde boy whimpered and sputtered out, "W-w-what are you!"

The orange fox's lips peeled back in a grotesque manner as a harsh laugh sounded, "Your nightmare and fate. The true form you will assume."

Naruto fell slowly beneath the water as his vision faded to black.

-back in reality-

Taki halted as he felt the boy stirring, "Karu, the kid is awake."

Karu kept walking and called back, "Then make him stand on his own two feet and walk."

The man nodded and set Naruto in front of him shoving the boy forward muttering, "You heard him."

Naruto shuffled forward the two men close behind. It was not long before they reached the edges of a lake. Taki scooped the boy up and raced across the clear blue surface of the lake and then continued to carry him to the edge of fire country before setting him down across the border telling him to once again walk on his own two feet.

Karu spoke in a gruff voice, "At least now if we are being followed the scent will be harder to track and they cannot rightfully cross the border without proof of being on a mission thanks to our village leader's new treaty."

"And once we get him to the village we can figure out what makes the vessel a powerful enough keeper and recreate that with lesser youkai in our own people."

The small child flinched and moved forward his eyes burning with fear.

* * *

Kakashi was growing increasingly worried the longer he kept heading towards the edges of fire country, 'Where the hell are they heading?'

The dog he was following stopped moving and slid to a halt near a lake shore. The jounin looked at the dog and asked what was going on. The dog barked back in answer before laying down looking sadly at the water. He had lost the scent. Kakashi swore heavily and punched a tree trunk in his anger. The dog gave his master an apologetic look and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi did not know how long he had been standing staring at the lake, but it was long enough for the team that the Hokage had sent to catch up to him. The Anbu in charge of the team approached Kakashi with Pakkun on his heels, "Kakashi-san you are to come back to the village with us for the time being. A mission team is being dispatched as they may have crossed the border into lightning country and the Raikage's new policy forbids other ninja villages from entering without a proper mission scroll."

Kakashi turned around and started walking back with the Anbu the ache in his chest growing with every step he took in the opposite direction from Naruto. Pakkun looked up and the silver haired man and disappeared a sad look in his eyes.

* * *

Note: If anyone has any suggestions to make the story better or a plot idea they would like to see in the upcoming chapters PM me the idea or suggestion.


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER- I do not own Naruto no matter how much I wish I did so I could make the series go my way, but alas poor readers I do not. (Shakespeare anyone?)

* * *

The Hokage was not at all surprised when Kakashi burst into his office demanding to be given the rescue mission. He was surprised however, when the jounin's chakra flared at being told no. Kakashi spoke in an eerily quiet voice, "You have no right to stop me from going."

"I have every right. As Hokage of this village it is my job to put together a team that has the highest likelihood of success. You are a skilled ninja, but you have a personal connection. You of all people should know that in these kinds of missions personal connections can make or break the mission and I cannot take that chance with Naruto's life hanging in the balance."

The silver haired shinobi gave Sarutobi a tight lipped grimace, "I understand."

Sarutobi rubbed his temples as he watched Kakashi's retreating back leave the office. 'Yondaime did I make the right choice? Kakashi is attached to your son, but I fear he is becoming too attached."

* * *

Karu looked at Taki and gave him a silent order using hand signs. Taki nodded and picked up the blonde boy as Karu went through another series of hand signs. The air in front of them shimmered as if caught in a heat haze. The shimmering lasted several seconds before dissipating to reveal a cave. The two men entered the cave before once again setting Naruto down once again. Instead of waiting to hear the order to move forward he did so in an effort to disguise his fear. The two men were not fooled; they still kept a close watch on the small figure. "Do you know where we are supposed to take him?"

"I was told we were supposed to take the boy to the lab then the cells."

"I know that. I meant do you know where those places are in here?"

Taki rolled his eyes, "If I didn't know do you think they would of put me in charge of getting him here?"

Naruto lost count of the numerous twists and turns that his captors took. He felt like they had been walking for hours and was strangely relieved to see the large steel door. The boy watched as Taki pressed five or six numbers on a keypad and he could not help but to shudder as the heavy door creaked and groaned as it swung open. Karu shoved him gently forward, "Go over to the screen and change into the clothes you see there."

Naruto once again obeyed. He sighed and pulled on the white shorts and came out from behind the screen holding the matching white shirt, "I cannot get this on while my hands are tied."

Taki pulled a kunai out of his pocket and ran it down the front of the boy's shirt leaving a thin red cut down the center of the boy's chest. The fabric fell away and Karu picked it up off the floor as Taki pulled the white fabric over Naruto's head doing up the snaps under the arm and at the waist. "There now step on the scales so we can get your height and weight."

Karu grabbed a note pad and jotted down the measurements quickly as well as Naruto's eye color, hair color and whisker marks length. "Okay now let's move on to where you will be staying."

They brought the boy to a dingy little cell in the far reaches of the cave, "Go in."

Naruto gave his captors a fear filled look and decided it was now or never. He made a break for it; the boy managed to get just past Karu before Taki swept his feet out from under him and threw him bodily into the cell slamming the door shut. "That was a bad idea. Every time you try to escape or don't do as your told there will now be consequences. Do you understand me?"

Naruto nodded slowly pulling himself off the floor; He watched as the two men walked away and took in his surroundings. The cell was three feet by five feet and in the corner was a small stool and a pile of hay, the floor was covered in a thin layer of dirt and the walls were cold and there was no real lighting in the cell but what little light there was came from a small torch set a foot into the wall outside of the cell. Naruto sighed and limped over to the stool taking a seat. 'I wonder if anyone is looking for me.'

* * *

Kakashi waited until sundown before slipping out of his apartment in a dark cloak armed to the teeth. He leapt stealthy onto the rooftop and quickly made his way across the rooftops of the village to the gate. The silver haired man launched himself over the wall landing in a crouch in the grass. The man quickly made a break for tree cover leaping into the upper branches quickly making his way back to the spot where the dog had lost the scent. Kakashi ran across the surface of the lake and continued on, 'Just hang in there Naruto.'

He paused for a moment on the border edge and looked back in the direction he had been traveling in, "I hope this decision does not come back to bite me."

He stepped across the line into another country and continued on, senses on high alert. It did not take long for his trained senses to pick up on the hidden cave. Kakashi concealed himself in the treetops watching the concealed area waiting to see what he had to do to gain entrance.

* * *

Taki and Karu stood outside a large wooden door, neither of the men dared to look anywhere but at the floor for fear of drawing the attention of the guards. They knew if they made direct eye contact with either of the guards that was as good as signing their own death warrant. The pair waited five more minutes before the heavy door in front of them swung open. Taki gave Karu a fear filled look before entering the room.

Behind the desk sat a large round man with heavily graying hair. He was dressed simply in a white robe his hat lying next to the pile of papers on the desk. He reached a gnarled old hand up and removed the pipe from his mouth saying in a wheezing voice, "You were successful correct?"

"Yes Raikage-sama."

"Has the boy been broken yet?"

"No."

"Make sure he is broken by tomorrow night. Do not hurt him physically genjutsu should be more than enough for somebody his age."

The pair nodded and once again left the office heading back towards the cells in the lower level of the mansion neither wanting to leave the village to use the secret cave entrance. Taki paused halfway down the steps and looked back at Karu, "If that thing inside him rises to the surface you know what to do right?"

The older man sighed and spoke his voice shaky, "Yes I do, but I do not know how I feel about using that on such a small child…even if he does contain a demon."

"You know we have no choice in the matter so stop squirming, at least we don't have to be here when the Raikage does his part."

"To be safe can we cast the genjutsu from down the hall?"

I don't see why we couldn't cast it from around the corner. I don't want to get caught if the demon does appear."

Taki and Karu continued down the steps and stopped three feet away from the cell. Karu did a series of hand seals and whispered, "Magen: Jigoku Kōka no Jutsu."

Taki waited a few moments before calling out, "Kokuangyou no Jutsu."

* * *

Naruto looked up as he heard the hissing sound of flames and screamed. There was a large ball of fire hurtling down towards him. The boy ran for the other side of the cell and the ball of fire grew to encompass the entire cell giving Naruto nowhere to hide. He screamed louder and fell to the ground as the fire touched him. He felt like his blood was boiling as he writhed on the cold floor. His small frame shaking heavily as he tried to crawl his way to the bars of the cell to call for help. It was during this crawl for freedom that the world went dark. Naruto stopped moving and felt the cold of the darkness creep into his bones replacing the burning.

He shivered and curled up into a ball trying to conserve his body heat.

* * *

Taki and Karu walked to the edge of the cell and watched the boy's eyes go blank as he shook and screamed. "Do you think this is working?"

"It should be. These genjutsu should be enough to break a child."

Taki placed a hand on the bars and looked pityingly at the small form lying on the floor, "How long should we keep him under this?"

"Until we see tears or he passes out."

"It shouldn't take too long should it?"

"I wouldn't think it would take too long."

The two watched him for three minutes before the burst out crying and his eyes fluttered shut. "Come on Taki lets go get the Raikage."

Taki shook his head. "You go get him I will wait here and keep an eye on him and make sure he does not go demonic on us."

Karu nodded and went back up the stairs passing a man with a sad look on his face. Karu shook his head not sure why the man was down in a restricted area, but Karu didn't say anything to him.

* * *

Kakashi punched a nearby tree. "I can't believe this. What kind of genjutsu is this? I can't dispel it and nobody has come in or out in hours."

The jounin was growing more and more aggravated and desperate with every passing second. He was considering simply running into the genjutsu to see what would happen when a man came out of the shimmering area and walked over to a tree near Kakashi. The man reached up into the tree with both hands and untied a bird, "Go on Hikaru. Give the message to my wife. She needs to know I am alright and I may have found the cure."

Kakashi lifted exposed his sharingan eye memorizing the rapid succession of hand seals the man did to dispel the genjutsu so he could gain entrance again. Kakashi waited several minutes before going through the same series of hand seals and entered the cave quickly blending into the shadows along the edges of the wall.

* * *

A/N: There another Chapter down and the next should be up soon enough.

Also if anyone has any pointers review, PM the usual.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/n: I'm not abandoning this damn thing...I swear. Now that life seems to be less chaotic I actually sat down and wrote a new chapter. Pain of the Fox is still being rewritten I am debating about putting the few chapters I have redone up and getting rid of the crap-tastic ones. The next update for this I hope I will have done before the end of the month.

* * *

The Raikage entered the cell and approached the writhing boy. He kicked him heavily in the ribs and laughed as the sound of breaking ribs met his ears. Naruto screamed again as he felt the bone shatter pierce his lungs. The man kneeled down next to the shaking boy and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt, "This is only the beginning."

Naruto's eyes were filled with fear and tears ran down his cheeks as the Raikage forcibly dragged him down the hall and into the laboratory. Taki and Karu stood against the wall averting their eyes. The Raikage strapped the boy to a metal table and made his way to a tray filled with surgical equipment. The man picked up a thin scalpel and tested the edge of the blade on his thumb. The blade made a small cut that quickly welled with blood causing the man to nod in satisfaction.

Naruto watched as the Raikage brought the blade closer and closer to his face. The man slowly dragged the blade across the whisker like marks on the boy's face creating thin ribbons of blood that flowed down his tan flesh to collect in stone bowls that had been placed flush with his neck. Several seconds passed before the men saw minute amounts of steam rising up from the cuts as the skin knit back together. The Raikage gasped, "Get me the serum."

Taki nodded and moved over to a refrigerated cabinet pulling out a syringe filled with a deep purple liquid. The elderly man took the syringe and injected the fluid into the blonde boy's neck. The Raikage again made shallow cuts along the whisker like marks. Naruto winced and whimpered at the stinging sensation once more. The Raikage waited several moments before giving a small chuckle, "It seems the serum works. I want you two to analyze his blood and see how the serum stops the healing processes from occurring. There should be enough chakra in there to let you tell, and I also want to know how long the effects stay apparent in his blood as well."

Karu and Taki each nodded and took a bowl respectively going over to the lab set up. Karu set about preparing a slide as Taki began missing samples of the blood with various other substances. The Raikage nodded his head in approval before taking a hold of Naruto and dragging the boy off the table and into the hallway. "You're not going back to the cells you know. You're going to the lab now that we know this serum can help control the demon… I want to see if anything else can be controlled."

Naruto's bright blue eyes widen and he gave a weak attempt to bolt down the opposite hallway only to find the Raikage was spry for his old age. The old man moved like lightning and took a hold of Naruto's shirt pulling him backwards harshly almost choking the boy. "You're a stupid child aren't you?"

Naruto's eyes widened in fear as the man raised his arm and slapped him harshly across the face bringing tears to the blue eyes. He gave a sharp cry and fell to the ground as the man brought his knee into his sternum giving a grin at the sickening sound the boy's organs bruising. Naruto found himself once again yanked sharply to his feet and shoved down another hallway in the opposite direction of the cells. The Raikage kept shoving him along whenever Naruto paused refusing to give the boy a moment to rest. It wasn't until the boy was swaying on his swollen, aching bare feet that the man paused outside a steel door. Naruto watched as his captor took a chain from around his neck and slid a key into the concealed locking mechanism.

The Raikage gave a harsh laugh and took the boy by the arm and dragged him into the laboratory. "You know nobody from your village is ever going to come for you. Everyone wishes you were put to death. Nobody will care that you're missing."

It was with those words that the spark drained out of Naruto's blue eyes as his mind wandered into the past to all the cruel looks, words and actions he had already experienced in his young life. He couldn't stop himself from thinking, 'Maybe Kakashi-san doesn't like me and only did what he did because Jiji-sama told him to. Maybe I am just a mission to him.'

The Raikage gave a smile and ordered Naruto to go stand against the wall and cracked an even wider smile when the boy obeyed his order. He walked over to where the boy was standing and chained his ankles and wrists to the wall, "These chains are designed to draw out and harness chakra so even the most skilled ninja is nothing but an energy source for the experiments we run here. Most only last a few months before their bodies give out, but you and you alone will last us for years."

Naruto gave the man a blank, dead eyed stare and let his small frame sink against the wall feeling his energy slowly begin to ebb from him like a slowly receding tide that would not return. He watched as the man walked over to a series of strange glass vials that went from the ceiling to the floor. The Raikage placed a palm against the cool brass that held the vials to the walls and laughed manically as they were slowly beginning to pool with swirling blue and red streaks of chakra.

* * *

Kakashi moved silently down the hallway like a ghost. His years of ANBU taking over as he slipped back into the silent assassin he was famed to be. The man's kind eyes slowly taking on a hard dangerous tone as he progressed down the hallway a kunai now clenched tightly in a slightly sweaty palm. He saw the cells up ahead of him on the left and gave a grim smile as he moved just a hair faster searching for any chakra signatures. He felt the faint, but familiar vestiges of Naruto's chakra and tried to expand his search focusing this time on just the familiar chakra. He could not feel that same chakra, but he could feel two unfamiliar signatures up ahead.

The silver haired jounin clenched the kunai just a little bit tighter and moved for the two signatures. He came to the door at the end of the hallway and broke through the door effortlessly landing in a crouch amid shattered wood and glass catching both Karu and Taki off guard momentarily. It only took the two men a matter of seconds before they had their kunai in their hands and were leaping over the desks at Kakashi.

The silver haired man gave a soft growl deep in his throat leaping from his crouch in a graceful arc slashing through the tender flesh of Taki's arm as he sailed past barely feeling the weapon of his opponent part the skin of his cheek. Karu and Taki nodded to each other each running towards a different side of the room before going through a series of hand seals each blowing a medium sized streak of fire that took on the shape of a roaring dragon. The two jutsu intertwined coming straight at the other man making him have to drop to the ground and roll out of the path of the attacks. Taki and Karu watched as Kakashi once again moved towards them, this time staying low to the ground. The two men also crouched low intending to take the former ANBU out. They moved forward as one and suddenly the man in front of them turned into two after using a silent clone jutsu.

The two Kakashi's moved in synch, exuding so much killing intent that both Taki and Karu suddenly found themselves frozen in place. As the clone and original moved passed them, twin arcs of blood followed their blades as two heads fell simultaneously to the floor. Kakashi then banished the clone and left the room ignoring the blood that had splattered across his mask and shirt, slipping even farther into the ANBU mind set. He continued down a new hallway melting into the shadows again his senses once again on high alert for Naruto's familiar chakra signature.

* * *

Naruto felt his eyes growing heavy as his chakra was forcibly removed from his body. As his lids slid shut he suddenly found himself stand once again in front of the large cage with the glowing red eyes that seemed to be dimmer this time. "Why? Why are you not letting me take control? I can take care of us. I can free us!"

The blonde boy started shaking lightly, "I don't know what to do. I'm scared."

He leapt back as the bars separating him from the demon rattled heavily. "You pathetic excuse of a human whelp, I refuse to die here! Rip the seal off or else I will force my control on you!"

Naruto shook heavily and began backing up, "NO! NO, I don't want to disappear!"

The bars rattled heavily as the fox crashed into them, "It's too late for you! You're already gone, you will become mine! I am you."

The boy fell to his knees again sobbing repeating the word 'no' over and over again. Kyuubi exploited that moment of weakness to his advantage stretching out a small tendril of his red chakra touching Naruto's chest with it. The boy's arms flew wide as the chakra spread and sunk into his skin, as his eyes turned a deep red. His back bent backwards at an impossible angle as his skin started to peel away from his body revealing a layer of pure chakra mixed with blood.

The Raikage's eyes shown with fear as he heard the chains hiss as they began to melt from the intensity of the chakra rolling off the boy in waves. He felt nothing as his body flew backwards through the wall as the chakra finally burst free fully causing an explosion.

* * *

Kakashi felt the sudden increase in chakra pressure within the building and shivered, "What is going on?"

He felt the explosion before he heard it, and found himself struggling to land on his feet as he flew backwards amid a shower of rock. The ninja's eyes widened with disbelief as he witnessed the Raikage go flying past and he felt a minute amount of pity as the other man was crushed against the wall by some invisible force. Kakashi carefully moved forward his senses on high alert as he heard wet footsteps. A body that was shaped like a fox made of pure chakra and dripping blood staggered from the whole in the wall. The being glanced at the lump of bloody flesh that had used to be the Raikage before turning its crimson gaze onto Kakash; It gave a leering grin and the man shook as realization hit him. The silver haired man choked out a singular cry of, "Kyuubi," before the creature was on top of him fangs of chakra grazing his neck.

* * *

~ R&R


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